The defending Premier League champions had contacted Real about re-signing Ronaldo, although the Portuguese forward opted to stay at the Bernabeu, signing a new blockbuster contract.

According to the Mirror, Ferdinand claimed that his 'old pal' Ronaldo was one of the most dialed persons on his phone at that time, although he added that he believes any chance of Ronaldo coming back to Old Trafford has gone now given his new deal with Real.

Ferdinand further said that although footballers play their cards close to their chests and do not let people know about such choices for fear of 'letting the cat out of the bag', he believes that had Ronaldo left Real, he would have come back to United.

Ferdinand feels that Ronaldo has improved since leaving the Premier League in 2009 in a world-record 80 million-pound move, and claims that he has shown this year that he is now the best footballer on the planet. (ANI)